Sprint Asks FCC To Refine Rules for Reserve Spectrum in Incentive Auction
Sprint said the FCC should make changes to the rules for the TV incentive auction, which set aside “reserve” spectrum blocks for carriers that don't already own significant amounts of low-band spectrum. The FCC approved rules for the set-aside at…
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its May 15, 2014, meeting (see 1405160030). The FCC “established a reserve to lessen the likelihood that the two largest providers, with their vast resources, could foreclose their much smaller rivals from obtaining 600 MHz spectrum in the auction to better compete in the downstream mobile broadband market,” Sprint said. “The Commission set the right goal, but its implementation plan could create the very foreclosure risk it intended to prevent.” Sprint proposed that the FCC change its rules to establish the reserve blocks at the start of the forward auction, rather than toward its end, and allow eligible bidders to bid on the blocks from the start of the auction. “The Commission could adopt these two changes quickly, without delaying the auction or extensively revising the proposed auction processes,” Sprint said. “With these modifications, the Commission can help ensure that consumers ultimately benefit from the 600 MHz auction by giving competitive carriers a fair shot at getting the low-band spectrum they need to compete more effectively with the two largest providers.”